Baseball Prospectus Kansas City

Digging a Hole (BP Kansas City Episode 54)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kansascitybaseballvault/2017/04/27/digging-a-hole-bp-kansas-city-episode-54.mp3 The Royals went winless since our last episode, largely due to continued struggles at the plate. How can they work out of it? What’s the biggest issue? When do you start to worry (or are you already?)? We tried to address those questions, including what has to happen going forward for the Royals to […]

Early Season Questions Remain (BP Kansas City Episode 53)

The Royals ran into a four-game winning streak, but their offensive numbers wouldn’t make you believe it. Despite a mostly successful homestand, there are still some stragglers in the lineup.

Jeff and Mike discussed Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, and a little more about Raul Mondesi and what kinds of things they can do to right their personal ships.

It wasn’t all bad, though. The rotation is nails right now, and the bullpen is regrouping. We discussed both and how likely they may be to keep it up.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to KansasCityBaseballVault@gmail.com. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.

Early Struggles, Early Moves (BP Kansas City Episode 52)

The Royals bullpen hasn’t been very strong. The offense has looked rough. It’s not ideal. So the Royals made a couple of moves to give Matt Strahm a break and get some fresh arms in town.

Curiously, their struggling second baseman Raul Mondesi isn’t drawing much attention from the coaching staff yet.

We talked about these struggles and the slight intrigue of Jake Junis in the bullpen at the big league level.

When the Twins Beat Your Team Up (BP Kansas City Episode 51)

Hey! The Royals opened their season in Minnesota, ready to start their last year in The Window and get back to the playoffs!

Then the Twins – the Twins! – mopped the floor with them.

We did our best to pick out a couple of bright spots, but we did have to cover the rough series and our impressions of what it means (if anything).

Commiserate with us for an hour!

Almost Go Time (BP Kansas City Episode 50)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kansascitybaseballvault/2017/03/31/almost-go-time-bp-kansas-city-episode-50.mp3 It’s been an active winter for the Royals, full of difficult decisions and even more difficult emotions. On Monday, however, it’s time for another baseball season and Opening Day. We discussed the sneaky potential in the starting rotation, the depth of the lineup, and the makeup of the bullpen and what the season may […]

3rd Annual Over/Under Extravaganza (BP Kansas City Episode 49)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kansascitybaseballvault/2017/03/23/3rd-annual-overunder-extravaganza-bp-kansas-city-episode-49.mp3 Six years ago this week, we started this podcast, so to commemorate it, we brought on an old friend and the founder of our show, Troy Olsen. We shared some memories and talked about Royals baseball. In the second segment, Jeff and Mike unveiled their 3rd annual batch of Over/Under predictions for a number […]

Surprises From Surprise (BP Kansas City Episode 48)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kansascitybaseballvault/2017/03/16/surprises-from-surprise-bp-kansas-city-episode-48.mp3 This week, a look at some surprising performers in Royals spring training. From Raul Mondesi to Jorge Bonifacio and Scott Alexander to Yender Caramo. These guys are putting themselves on the radar for opening day, or at least another look later in the year. We also talked about the injury to Salvador Perez in […]

The World Baseball Classic and Royals Camp Cuts (BP Kansas City Episode 47)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kansascitybaseballvault/2017/03/09/the-world-baseball-classic-and-royals-camp-cuts-bp-kansas-city-episode-47.mp3 The Royals’ big league camp is thinning out this week, as they made their first big cut, sending numerous players to minor league camp. Along with that, others are joining their countrymen for the World Baseball Classic. Jeff and Mike discussed both topics in this episode, including thoughts about the importance of the WBC, […]

Sizing Up Royals Spring Training Battles (BP Kansas City Episode 46)

This week, we looked at the first week of spring training and the early signs regarding some spring training position battles.

There aren’t many, but second base has a trio (a quartet!?) of players who could see time there in 2017. We discuss Raul Mondesi, Christian Colon, Whit Merrifield, and – hey, it could happen – Cheslor Cuthbert.

We also talked about the fifth starter spot. It seems like it’s Nathan Karns’s job to lose, but Travis Wood has a shot, as does Chris Young, and all three have good numbers after one appearance each.

We also covered Kyle Zimmer and what expectations should be going forward. He throws on Saturday and we’re very interested to see how he does.

And finally, we helped to spread the legend of Peter O’Brien, who felled a thousand trees with one swing, rescued the princess, and ran the villains out of town.

Regarding Quite a Lot of Pitchers (And Hosmer!) – BP KC Episode 45

After two weeks off, we have returned to talk about a slew of signings that add depth and intrigue to the Royals’ pitching staff this spring.

We discussed Seth Maness and his miracle surgery, Jason Hammel and his value, Travis Wood and Nathan Karns and the starting rotation battle, as well as youngsters Matt Strahm, Josh Staumont, and Kyle Zimmer.

We also talked about the rumblings about Eric Hosmer contract extension talks and the difficulty in projecting what the kind of deal might look like.